MUMBAI: BARC (India), Médiamétrie (France), Numeris (Canada) and Video Research (Japan) have teamed up to form the Global Alliance for the Measurement of Media Audiences (GAMMA) to chart the future course of video audience measurement.
They will collaborate on future audience measurement initiatives including the development of common technical standards and operational processes, in order to benefit the existing currency services each member operates, in their respective market, through their current organisation and measurement partners. The four founding nations collectively account for a total population of more than 1.5 billion and represent a combined advertising spend of S 78 billion (15 per cent of the worldwide total).
Audience Measurement systems worldwide have been evolving to meet the emerging needs of the industry. Rapid advancements in technology are re-shaping both the distribution as well as the consumption of content. These changes are not only country-specific but have a global impact, given the true nature of digital media.
Brad Bedford, a veteran audience measurement executive, has been appointed Global Managing Director of GAMMA.
GAMMA aims to leverage the collective knowledge and sector expertise of each member to advance audience measurement solutions worldwide. Through closer cooperation, the participants intend to identify strategies and solutions that are more transparent and standardised. This will ensure greater efficiency, consistency and scope for audience measurement providers and their partners from this point forward.
“Audience measurement across the world needs to constantly innovate to keep pace with emerging trends. We at BARC India have always been open to learning from our global counterparts and this international alliance offers a tremendous platform to not only learn from our peers, but also to contribute,” said BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta.
“As in every other field, audience measurement needs to cater to changing media behaviours. Partnering with television, internet and radio professionals for decades has allowed Mediametrie to develop unique technological and methodological expertise in audience measurement. We’re pleased to share these achievements with our colleagues, via this new alliance, to further accelerate innovation within the industry,” added Mediametrie chairman and CEO Bruno Chetaille.
“This global body will help us leverage knowledge, innovation and audience measurement expertise as a result of more effective discussions with key international players. We are confident that this alliance will be a significant conduit in gaining stronger cooperation towards more consistent, transparent, standardised and interoperable audience measurement,” said Numeris president and CEO Neil McEneaney.
“While each market behaves differently and has unique challenges, the single issue common to all audience measurement providers today is the ability to capture complete viewership, irrespective of screen. Innovation and collaboration remain the primary criteria and this expanded global relationship provides a major step towards that end,” said Video Research president and CEO Yuzuru Kato.
Said Bedford, “There is an ever-increasing demand for cross device measurement internationally and the partnering of these audience measurement companies seeks to facilitate continued movement in that direction. I am truly honoured to represent this effort on a global scale. We are confident GAMMA will be a source of great knowledge sharing and continued learning for the industry.”
